Contents

Understand

"Murudeshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Famous for the world's tallest Shiva statue, this beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.

Get in

By Bus

Now sleeper/sitting non AC buses are available from Bangalore. They take just over 12 hours to reach and costs vary from 600-750 depending on the operator and the seating chosen.

By train

Murudeshwara station lies on the Konkan Railway. Some trains from Mumbai and Mangalore stop here. There is one direct train from Bangalore (Train No. 16517, Karwar Express). Starting at 20:30 hrs from Yeshwantpur, which is in the outskirts of Bangalore, to Karwar reaching Murdeshwar at 12noon.

By air

Nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport, 165 km away. Hubli and Panaji airports are other alternatives.

See

Murudeshwara Temple and Raja Gopura: This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is a temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and a 20-storied Gopura is being constructed on the temple. Two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple. The entire temple and temple complex, including the 249 feet tall Raja Gopura, which is considered the tallest gopura in the world, was constructed to its present form by businessman and philanthropist Mr R N Shetty.

Statue of Lord Shiva: A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the tallest statue of Shiva in the world. The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height, and took about 2 years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist Mr R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately 50 million Rs. The idol is designed such that it gets the sun light directly and thus appears sparkling. Originally, the statue had four arms, and was adorned in gold paint. However, large wind gusts blew the arm off (the one that held a small drum), and rains dissolved the paint.

Murudeshwara Fort: A fort present behind the temple is said to have been renovated by Tipu Sultan.

Do

Diving: For those who want to dive in clear waters, there are organized trips to Netrani (also known as Pigeon Island). Netrani Island is about 10 nautical miles off shore from the small fishing village of Murudeshwar. Diving shops in Goa shall help you in getting you there.

Buy

Eat

Sleep

RNS Residency, RNS International Murudeshwar - 581350. Bhatkal Taluk, Uttar Kannada, Karnataka, [2]. RNS Residency is a three star hotel located at Murudeshwar (Karnataka, India). The Hotel facing the Arabian Sea, surrounded by picturesque sea-shore and near the famous Mahatobar Murudeshwar Temple. It has 90 luxury rooms, with centralised air-conditioning, all modern amenities, a health club, swimming pool, gymnasium and other facilities.